Among the top reasons that people don’t meditate is a lack of time. If you’re short on time but still looking to add more mindfulness into your busy days, my PAUSE acronym might just do the trick. Below is a breakdown of each letter and some helpful tips to build your mediation practice.

If your mind wanders while practicing, don’t worry – kindly return your attention to your breath.

P

Pay attention. You can try repeating the mantra just this breath, just this moment as a reminder that the present moment is all that matters.

Spend whatever time you have paying attention to:

• Your surroundings – Invite everything in your immediate surroundings to be part of your sensory experience. Observe without assigning meaning to any objects or sounds.
• Your breath – Notice the quality of your breath as it effortlessly expands and contracts. Return to your breath as your mind wanders.
• Your body – Listen to body’s energy levels, hunger cues and all physical sensations (how long have you been holding your pee…?)

A

Accept the present moment. Acknowledge all the events of the day and release the need to control whatever is going to happen next. Accept the present moment exactly as it is; there is nothing else for you to do in this moment of mindfulness.  

U

Unclench your muscles. Relax your shoulders away from your ears, separate your teeth and unstick your tongue from the roof of your mouth. Notice any areas that might be holding tension and invite those areas to relax with a few rounds of deep breathing. These muscles will start to clench again almost as soon as you invite them to relax; unclench as many times as you need.

S

Set your intention. Your intention can be a word or phrase that encompasses how you want to feel, move, be or explore. How do you want to move through the rest of your day? What do you want to cultivate? How will you show up for yourself? Your answer is your intention – say it quietly to yourself and commit to seeing it through.

E

Exhale to release. Let it all go.

When you PAUSE for a moment of mindfulness, you prime your mind, body and energy for what’s to come.